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March 2017

"O Bless the Lord," "Day by Day" and other favorites can be heard from the CJ stage when CJ Performing Arts Presents Godspell on Friday, March 10 and Saturday, March 11. This will be the first musical production in the renovated CJ auditorium.

"The newly renovated space has provided many new opportunities in the production of Godspell this year," Debi Schutt, Director of Performing Arts, said. "The versatile space in the front has allowed for a functional space for live musicians to perform as part of the show. The updated sound equipment has vastly improved the sound quality in the space and the updated rigging and electrics have allowed us to rent new and up to date lighting equipment to further enhance the show. The increased spaces for costumes and set building have allowed our tech students to have more hands on experience in building and designing the show."

The musical tells the story of followers helping Jesus Christ tell parables in comedic fashion. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students.

On Sunday, February 26, dozens of young African American women and supporters gathered at Chaminade Julienne for the Pretty Period event sponsored by the Senior Capstone Group of LaStacia Patterson, Alexis Robinson, Amari Smith and Se'Aunna Watson Cunningham.

"We came up with the idea due to our own experiences in our lives and decided to create something for girls like us in order to help the community," Smith said.

The group noted they used inspiration for their event from the Pretty Period website. The creator of the website revealed that her concept for movement came from the backhanded compliment, “You are pretty for a dark skinned girl.”

The event at CJ kicked off with presentations from four African American leaders in the Dayton community - Letitia Perry Gina McDonald, Pastor Paul Gales, and Anthony Peebles.

"They spoke on how to be fulfilled and fit physically, mentally, and emotionally, self worth, standards, and respecting yourself in and out of relationships," Smith recalled. "Then the girls had a question and answer discussion with the speakers."

Following the discussion, the group went into the school cafeteria for a dinner. During the dinner, DCDC and dancer Brittany Coleman performed and Smith recited a poem. Representatives from the Women of the NAACP, Miami Valley Urban League, and Mama Aswan Shea Butters were also on hand for the event.

"We believe the girls enjoyed themselves and were inspired," Smith reflected. "Many of the girls told us how much they loved it. We feel like we did a good job getting our point across and completing our mission."

Watson-Cunningham added, "We really want to continue bringing young black girls together. The unity of black women is needed in our world today. The girls learned a lot, along with us. We definitely were positively impacted by the event."

On Thursday, March 2, ten indoor track and field members didn't sprint, but rather walked, as the CJ community cheered them on ahead of the state championships. For several state qualifiers, this was their first trip to the state finals.

"It’s exciting for them, but it’ll be nerve wracking," men's and women's track and field head coach Jerry Puckett predicted prior to the event. "They are all very talented."

"I’m excited to compete," said first-time participant Jumarion Wills '17 before the competition. "It’ll be a new experience for me and I’m ready to do my best."

Lauren Pegues '17 and Danielle Lewis '17, who have been to state championships for indoor and outdoor track before, were excited about the trip to state as well and reflected about being leaders to the underclassmen.

"The freshmen are very talented and make us work," Pegues said. "They pushed us to make us better."

Lewis added, "We tried to lead by example and show them by our actions."

"I’m happy for the seniors," Puckett noted. "The team has gotten better and better, and the future looks good."

Students, passionate about protecting animals, informed others of companies who perform makeup testing on animals as part of their Senior Capstone Project.

Sara Bowman, Lauren Eifert, Sarah Grady and Queen Peters-Thornton worked together to spread the message against animal cruelty.

“I have always wanted to put an end to animal cruelty and when we thought of the idea of animal makeup testing, I thought it was a good idea,” Peters-Thornton shared.

On Wednesday, February 22, the group encouraged other students to wear pictures of animals on their shirts to promote their solidarity against animal testing. Posters with the names of products that use animal testing were also hung around school.

“I hope students learned the value of integrity to not only humans but also animals,” Bowman said.

The group added that they are looking ways to continue to spread the message against animal cruelty.

“We possibly will be visiting shelters and looking for animals that have been tested on to see the effects of them afterwards,” Peters-Thornton noted.

Bowman added, “I enjoyed this learning experience and the lessons of working with others that went along with it! #BeCrueltyFree.”

Four students are spreading messages of encouragement and motivation to others when they present during the TEDxYouth@Dayton event on Friday, March 3 at Wright State University.

TEDxYouth is an event sponsored by the TED organization. TEDxYouth gives students ages 14-19 a platform to share their vision and inspire fellow students.

Noah Meyer '17 and Spencer Mullins '17 are presenting together on the topic of refugees.

"Our presentation is about the refugee program that Noah and I started, how it has changed our lives and views as well as the effect it has had on the lives of the members of our program," Mullins said. "It emphasizes the idea that these people are just like us."

"I was very glad to find out we were selected to give a talk," Meyer added. "The opportunity to be involved in a program like TEDx, which I have been a fan of for many years, was incredibly exciting to me."

Alexis Jackson '17, with two other high school seniors, will talk about their presentation, White Privilege is Hearing Without Listening.

"I am biracial," Jackson noted. "This experience has exposed me to the evil cycle of systemic racism but also to the voices of white people, as my mom is white and my dad is black. I feel that the reason people are reluctant to accept the Black Lives Matter movement is because we as a society make controversial topics relating to race a matter of 'black' and 'white' in its most literal sense. However, if we keep making things a competition rather than a collective battle for equality, that cycle of systemic racism will not end in my lifetime.

Jackson continued, "I saw TedxYouth as an opportunity to get my voice out there, to reach out to everyone and say that white privilege is a problem for all races, and the best way to move past it is for each and every one of us to be willing to learn, to listen, to love, and to grow."

Brennan Harlow '19 said his topic focuses on the need to put an end to drug abuse.

"I am telling my story about my family and my experience with heroin abuse in my family," Harlow said. "One of the major points I make in my speech is that when you abuse drugs it’s not just you that you're affecting. You affect everyone around you, think of it as a ripple effect."

Meyer, Mullins, Jackson and Harlow all agreed they hope students attending their TEDxYouth talk walk away with valuable information to help them be the leaders of tomorrow.

"I hope people who attend the presentation learn that all people are connected and similar at their core," Meyer reflected.

Mullins added, "That the refugee population and everyone on the earth, despite our outward differences, are just like us."

"I really want white people to understand that having white privilege does not mean that they do not struggle," Jackson said. "We are not asking white people to feel guilty, we are asking them to use that privilege for good. I hope that people leave our talk enlightened, encouraged, and more willing to have honest discussions with other white people and with people of color. Our talk will be given by a white woman, a black woman, and myself (biracial). I hope that all of our collective experiences and voices will make people think and reflect."

Harlow said, "I want people to ask themselves, 'What are your thoughts affecting?', 'Who are your words and actions affecting?', and 'Who are you truly affecting in your life?'

Harlow continued, "If you have something to say about our community or have an idea you think you should be talking about, I strongly encourage you to look for the application next year."